Wrapping attachment for package production



Dec. 12, 1967 s. w. GLOGOWSKI 3,357,156

WRA?PING ATTACHMENT FOR PACKAGE PRODUCTION Filed Feb. 25, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Stefan W. G/ogows/r/ KFUZL LOLEFLOCKS v ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1967 s. w. GLOGOWSKI WRAPPING ATTACHMENT FOR PACKAGE PRODUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1965 n st mm mm mm A E mm mm m mm 0 0 mm I N VE N TOR Stefan W Glogowski ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1967 s. w. GLOGOWSKI WRAPPING ATTACHMENT FOE RACKAGE PRODUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 25,

FIG. P

INVENTOR \Sfefan W Glogowski KHRL (031mm ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,357,155 WRAPPING ATTACHMENT FOR PACKAGE PRODUCTION Stefan W. Glogowski, Livonia, Mich, assignor to Diamond International Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 435,2tl9 8 Claims. (Cl. 53-4178) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE Apparatus used in mass-production packaging in which a series of packages are to be wrapped in a heat-shrinkable film, comprising endless-twisted belts for continuously conveying filled trays or containers having a heat-shrinkable sleeve or the like disposed thereabout, the endless belts functioning to both convey the packages and wrap the package wrapper beneath the opposite sides of flange portions of the tray and cooperating with supplemental fold means for orienting the ends of the sleeves which are subsequently folded beneath the package.

This invention relates generally to an improved attachment used in a production line for continuously producing wrapped packages.

The improved attachment is particularly adapted for use in a production line in which a packaging-tray having a product therein has a sleeve-like wrapper disposed about the tray and the ends of the sleeves are in an unsealed or untucked condition, as produced, for example, by the wrapping apparatus disclosed in detail in the application of William S. Peppler, Serial No. 215,414 filed August 7, 1962 now United States Letters Patent No. 3,184,896, issued May 25, 1965 and having an assignee common to the assignee of the present application.

After packages are partially wrapped by means of the apparatus mentioned above, the wrapper of the package is subsequently shrunk by means of a shrink tunnel of the character generally disclosed in the patents to Dreyfus et al. No. 2,904,943 or Weissensee et al. No. 3,123,955, for example. In order to ensure proper folding and move ment of partially wrapped packages, the attachment or apparatus of this invention is highly practical and satisfactory.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved conveying-and-folding apparatus used as an intermediate portion of a package-producing production line in which a heat shrunk wrapper is used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel conveyor-and-wrapping attachment in which belt conveyors and belt-type end folders combined to orient a wrapper in a condition for subsequent shrinking.

These, together with other and more specific objects and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent from a consideration of the following descriptions and the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the attachment of the invention shown in relation to fragmentary portions of a wrapping apparatus and heat-shrink tunnel;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4 and are enlarged vertical sections respectively taken substantially on the planes of lines 33, 4-4 and 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing in detail the manner in which supplemental folding means is utilized to pre-orient the side portions of a wrapper subsequently to be folded during movement through the apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section taken substantially on the plane of line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing details of a supplemental, wrapper-orienting means;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical section looking substantially from the plane of line 1010 of FIG. 7, showing a supplemental folding belt used in the attachment of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially on the plane of line 11-41 of FIG. 7 illustrating the manner in which the folding-conveyor belts function to maintain the folds at the ends of a package being produced.

Before referring to the specific structure of the exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that portions of the respective embodiments of FIGS. 16, 7-11 may be interchangeable, and thus the details described with respect to these embodiments are to be considered in this context.

Referring in detail to FIGS. 1-6, a wrapping apparatus which produces partially wrapped packages having an open-ended sleve is indicated generally at 102 The wrapping apparatus 10 includes an endless conveyor 12 having disposed on the upper run 14 thereof a plurality of packages P. The packages P will include transversely of the conveyor run, sleeve-like, heat shrinkable sleeves S. The sleeves S (see FIG. 2) have laterally extending untucked ends e and it is these ends which will be disposed beneath a packaging tray T filled with the product whereafter the relatively loose wrappers will be shrunk in a heat tunnel indicated generally at 16.

A combined convcying-and-folding apparatus is indicated generally at 18 and comprises a suitable support frame means 29 upon which are journalled a first conveyor indicated generally at 22 flanked by a pair of folding conveyors indicated generally at 24 and 26.

The support frame means 20 includes on a transverse support element 28 a transversely disposed pulley 30 over which is entrained one end of a flat, endless conveyor belt 32, the other end of which is journalled on a support pulley 34 journalled on a suitable support 36 on the support frame means.

The entrance end to the conveyor 22 extends angularly upwardly to a slight degree as seen in FIG. 2, for example, and the upper run 32 of the conveyor is supported at this end by means of a biasing, support assembly indicated generally at 38 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The assembly 33 comprises a pair of support brackets 40 having journalled thereon inwardly extending ends 42 of a U- sh-aped support frame 44. Iournalled on the transverse bight portion 46 of the frame 44 is a support roller 48 which engages beneath the upper run 32 of the conveyor 22 as seen in FIG. 3. Torsion springs 50 are disposed on the ends 42 of the frame 44 and urge the frame 44, i.e. the roller 48 thereof, upwardly into engagement with the under-surface of the upper conveyor run 32 of the conveyor 22.

Considering FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, mounted on the support frame means 20 as at 52 and 54 are vertically extending guide Wire elements 56 and 58, respectively, which include a substantially horizontally extending portion 60 and 62 which have down-turned ends as seen at 63. The guide wire elements 56 and 58 extend vertically in spaced relation from the side margins 64 and 66 of the upper conveyor run 32 and then extend substantially horizontally. The portions 60 and 62 will engage adjacent the peripheral flange of the tray of the package P (see FIG. 3), to accordingly drape the ends e thereof over the portions 60 and 62 to facilitate subsequent folding of the foldin conveyor belts 24 and 26.

The folding-conveyor belts 24 and 26 are similar in construction and have an opposite twist, i.e. they are mirror images of each other, and include vertically disposed support pulleys 68 and 70 disposed intermediately in spaced relation from opposite the opposite side edges 66 and 64, respectively, of the conveyor 22. Disposed beyond the terminal end 72 of the conveyor 22 at the exit end of the attachment 18 are suitably journalled, substantially horizontally disposed pulleys 74 and 76, the axes of rotation of which are disposed in angular relationship to the longitudinal axis or path of travel through the apparatus defined by the conveyor 22. Entrained over the pulleys 68, 74 and 7t 76 are endless belts 7 8 and 80 which include inner runs 82 and 84, respectively, having an intermediate twist 86 and 88, respectively, substantially adjacent the terminal end 72 of the conveyor 22. The inner 4 runs 82 and 84 include substantially vertically disposed portions 90 and 92, respectively, disposed in substantially parallel spaced relation with respect to each other and with respect to the side margins 66 and 64, respectively, of the conveyor run 32. The vertically extending portions 93 and 92 merge at the intermediate twist 86- and 88 into a substantially horizontally extending portion 94 and $6 of the inner runs 82 and 84, respectively, of the foldin conveyor belts 24 and 26.

The pulley 36 may incorporate on opposite ends thereof suitable belt receiving portions over which is entrained one end of drive belts 98 and 109, the opposite ends of the belts being entrained over pulley portions 102 and 104 of the respective pulleys 74 and 76. Any suitable means may be utilized to drive or rotate the pulley 30 which accordingly results in the simultaneous rotation of the endless belts 78 and 89. If preferred, the conveyor 22 may be independently driven with respect to the means used to drive the folding-conveyor belts 24 and 26 to provide a relative drag due to the different speeds of the conveyor 22 with respect to the folding-conveyor belts to cause a slight drag on the ends e of the package to thus facilitate inward folding of the untucked ends e of the package.

The heat shrink tunnel 16 includes an endless conveyor 106 upon which packages having the ends e of the wrapper folded therebeneath, and as will presently be described in detail, the folding-conveyor belts 24 and 26 function to not only fold and maintain the ends e beneath the trays of the package, but serve as the conveyor for transporting the packages to the attachment 18 onto the conveyor 106 of the heat shrink tunnel 16.

OPERATION The packages P are spaced along the conveyor 14 of the wrapping apparatus and have disposed thereon Wrappers from which the ends e are open and extend beyond the tray and peripheral flange thereof. A typical package P is seen in FIGS. 3-4 and moves onto the upper run 32 of the conveyor 22. The guide wires, i.e. portions 60 and 62 engage beneath the ends of the packages, and cooperate with the inner surfaces of the vertical portions and 92 of the folding-conveyor belts 24 and 26, respectively, as seen, for example, in FIG. 3.

The package P continues to move toward the terminal ends 72 of the conveyor 22 and is progressively engaged during the movement by the inner runs of the belts 78 and 80, and when engaged by the intermediate twists 86 and 88, respectively, thereof (see FIG. 4) the ends e are moved inwardly beneath the peripheral flange of the trays T of the packages.

Continued movement of the package P is afforded by the substantially horizontal portions 94 and 96 of the belts (see FIG. 5) and serves to not only fold and maintain the ends 0 beneath the tray T, but also to convey the tray to the terminal ends of the belts 78 and S0 to eventually be received on the conveyor 106 of the heat shrink tunnel.

Considering FIGS. 7-11, another embodiment of the apparatus is disclosed which ultimately produces the same result as the previously described embodiment and generally has comparable structure and functional equivalent to the previously described embodiment.

In order to correlate the respective comparable functioning structure of the previously described embodiment with respect to that to be presently described, similar reference numerals having the prefix 200 will be used in the embodiment of FIGS. 7-11.

The wrapping attachment of FIGS. 7-11 is indicated generally at 21 8 and comprises support frame means 220. The support frame means 220 has suitably mounted thereon a motor 221 having mounted on a driving sprocket (not shown) an endless link chain 223 entrained over a driven sprocket 225 fixed to a transverse support shaft 227 to which are fixed support sheaves 230 and 23%" disposed in spaced relationship on the shaft 227. The shaft 227 is fixedly connected to outer ends thereof suitable sheaves 229 and 223' over which are entrained one end of drive belts 298 and 300, the function of which will subsequently be described. Indicated generally at 222 is conveyor means flanked on opposite sides by folding-conveyor belts indicated generally at 224 and 226.

Suitably journalled on the frame means 220 at the entrance end of the attachment is a suitably journalled transverse shaft 235. Fixed in spaced relationship on opposite sides of longitudinal axis of the attachment on the shaft 235 is a pair of support sheaves 234 and 236 over which are entrained one end of a first pair of upwardly angled conveyor belts 231 and 231', respectively. An intermediate support shaft 233 extends transversely of the support frame means 220 in spaced relation above the shaft 235 and the shaft 233 has fixed thereon sheaves 237, 237' which are in substantially coplanar alignment with the sheaves 234, 234', respectively. The other ends of the belts 231, 231 are entrained over sheaves 237, 237. The shaft 233 has fixedly secured thereto, inwardly of the sheaves 237, 237', sheaves 239 239' in substantially coplanar relationship with respect to the sheaves 230, 230, respectively, and the respective pairs of coplanar sheaves 230, 239 and 230, 239' have entrained thereover conveyor belts 232 and 232.

The conveyor 222 comprises two pairs of endless belts 231, 231' and 232, 232', which overlap at the adjacent ends, i.e. at shaft 233 and the terminal end of the endless belts 232, 232' terminate at 272, i.e. intermediatcly of the frame means 220.

The support frame means 220 has suitably mounted on the entrance end of the attachment at opposite sides thereof suitable support brackets 252 and 254 which have depending therefrom supplemental folding means indicated generally at 253 and 255 which include depending brush elements indicated at 262. The brush elements 262 will have a wiping engagement with respect to the ends e of the wrapper of the package P (see FIG. 10) to aid in orienting the ends over the flange f of the tray T.

Additional supplemental end-flap orienting means may be provided, and comprises pairs of aligned support sheaves 257, 259 and 261 and 263, respectively, fixed to the shafts 235 and 233. An endless belt 265 and 267 is entrained over the respective aligned pulleys 257, 259 and 261, 263 in substantial coplanar relationship with respect to the lower ends of the brush elements 262. The belts 265 serve to engage the under portion of the end-flaps e (see FIG. 10) to further orient the end-flap for engagement by the folding-conveyor belts 224 and 226.

The belts 265 and 267 are spaced outwardly from the tray of the package when it is disposed on the conveyor belts 231, 231'. It will be noted that the diameter of the sheaves 257, 261 (see FIG. 8) is greater than the respective diameters of the sheaves 234, 234 whereby the end flaps e are engaged by the leading end of the belts 265, 267.

The folding-conveyor belts 224 and 226 are substantially the same as corresponding folding-conveyor belts 24 and 26 of the previously described embodiment. However, the endless belts 278 and 280 have extending laterally from an intermediate portion of the outer surface thereof laterally projecting rib element 283 and 285 which serves to engage beneath the flange f of the tray T is clearly seen in FIG. 11.

Suitable idler pulleys such as those indicated at 287 may be provided wherever necessary to engage and properly orient the endless belts 278 and 280. The laterally projecting ribs 283 and 285 not only maintain the endflaps e beneath the tray flanges i but also serve to orient the package P substantially normal to the path of travel of the wrapping-and-conveyor attachment. If necessary, an intermediate, vertically disposed support roller 289 may be provided between the terminal ends of the endless belts 27 8 and 280.

The endless belts 278 and 280 are entrained over vertically disposed pulleys 268 and 270 at the entrance end of the attachment, and are at the egress end of the attachment entrained over substantially horizontally disposed support pulleys 274 and 276 suitably mounted on the support frame means 220. The pulleys 274 and 276 may be disposed in angular. downwardly extending relationship in order to form a substantial trough at the egress end of the attachment (note FIG. 11) for example.

The pulleys 274 and 276 are mounted on suitable support shafts upon which are mounted sheaves 302 and 364 over which the drive belts 298 and 300 are entrained.

Partially wrapped packages P are conveyed to the attachment 218 and packages are initially received on the first pair of belts 231, 231' and are conveyed upwardly for engagement with the lower edge of the supplemental end-flap orienting brushes 262. In this regard, the brushes 262 may be used independently of the belts 265 and 267 or if these belts are mounted on the attachment, as seen in FIG. 10, the belts 265 and 267 will engage the lower surface of the end-flaps e. The package P then moves on to the second pair of conveyor belts 232, 232 and is engaged beneath the flanges f of the package by the inwardly projecting ribs 283 and 285 which engage beneath the flange f of the tray, and the folding-conveyor belts 278 and 280 function to tuck the end-flaps e beneath the tray T as well as convey the package to the egress end of the attachment where it is subsequently moved on to the conveyor of suitable heat-shrink tunnel.

As previously mentioned, features of the respective embodirnents are in a sense interchangeable, i.e. for example, the folding-conveyor belts 224, 226 could be substituted for the belts 24 and 26, respectively, of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6. Further, the conveyor 222 of the embodiment of FIGS. 711 substantially corresponds to the conveyor 22 of the first described embodiment.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and, therefore, the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrapping-and-conveyor attachment for use in a package production line in which a partially wrapped package having untucked wrapper ends is moved longitudinally through the atachment and the untucked ends are folded beneath a tray forming a part of the package, comprising:

an elongated support frame means;

first endless conveyor journalled on said frame means and having an upper, substantially horizontally disposed run extending longitudinally from one end of said frame means and terminating intermediately of said frame means;

a pair of oppositely disposed, folding-conveyors journalled on said frame means and including opposed flat inner runs disposed in flanking, spaced relation from respective opposite side margins of the first endless conveyor at said one end,

said inner runs of said folding-conveyors converging inwardly beyond the terminal end of said first conveyor into intersecting relation with respect to a longitudinal projection of the longitudinal path of travel defined by said first conveyor,

said inner runs of said folding-conveyors extending substantially the length of said frame means,

said folding-conveyor inner runs including an intermediate twist and having a substantially vertical portion extending to an intermediate portion of said first conveyor and merging into a substantially horizontally disposed portion continuing from the terminal end of said first conveyor; and supplemental folding means extending in a generally vertical plane between the inner surface of the substantially vertical portion of said folding-conveyors and the adjacent side margin of said first conveyor, whereby the untucked wrapper ends of the package will be oriented substantially parallel to the inner surface of said vertical portions of said fold-conveyors,

said horizontal portion of said folding-conveyor extending beyond said terminal end of said first conveyor whereby packages disposed on said upper run of said first conveyor are moved thereby into engagement with the intermediate twist of said folding-conveyors and untucked ends of a wrapper are folded beneath the tray forming part of the package and the substantially horizontally disposed portion of said folding-conveyor belts solely maintain the folds and solely convey the package away from the terminal end of said first conveyor.

2. The attachment as claimed in claim 1 in which said folding-conveyors flat inner runs include a longitudinallydisposed rib portion extending laterally toward the respective side margins of said first conveyor for aiding to maintain the inwardly folded wrapper ends beneath the tray of the package.

3. The attachment as claimed in claim 1 in which said supplemental folding means comprises folding wires extending longitudinally along the respective side margins of said first conveyor and are substantially parallel to the vertical portion of said folding-conveyors.

4. The attachment as claimed in claim 1 in which said supplemental folding means comprises brush elements depending along the respective side margins of said first conveyor in a plane substantially parallel to the vertical portion of said folding-conveyors.

5. The attachment as claimed in claim 4 in which a pair of endless belts are journalled on said frame means and have an upper run disposed in substantially verticalline, spaced relation below said brush elements for engaging and orienting a lower portion of the wrapper ends.

6. The attachment as claimed in claim 1 in which said first conveyor comprises a single, endless belt.

7. The attachment as claimed in claim 1 in which said first conveyor comprises a plurality of pairs of longitudinally disposed pairs of narrow support belts disposed in overlapping relationship at respective adjacent ends.

8. The attachment as claimed in claim 1 including support rollers jonrnalled at the terminal end of said frame means on an axis-of-rotation in angular relation to the longitudinal axis of said frame means, said folding-conveyors being entrained over one of said respective support rollers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,841,755 1/ 1932 Mitchell et a1.

2,064,200 12/1936 Ford et a1 53376 2,605,597 8/1952 Scheib.

2,975,574 3/1961 Jorgenson et al. 53-378 X TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WRAPPING-AND-CONVEYOR ATTACHMENT FOR USE IN A PACKAGE PRODUCTION LINE IN WHICH A PARTIALLY WRAPPED PACKAGE HAVING UNTUCKED WRAPPER ENDS IS MOVED LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE ATTACHMENT AND THE UNTUCKED ENDS ARE FOLDED BENEATH A TRAY FORMING A PART OF THE PACKAGE, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED SUPPORT FRAME MEANS; FIRST ENDLESS CONVEYOR JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME MEANS AND HAVING AN UPPER, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED RUN EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM ONE END OF SAID FRAME MEANS AND TERMINATING INTERMEDIATELY OF SAID FRAME MEANS; A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED, FOLDING-CONVEYORS JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME MEANS AND INCLUDING OPPOSED FLAT INNER RUNS DISPOSED IN FLANKING, SPACED RELATION FROM RESPECTIVE OPPOSITE SIDE MARGINS OF THE FIRST ENDLESS CONVEYOR AT SAID ONE END, SAID INNER RUNS OF SAID FOLDING-CONVEYORS CONVERGING INWARDLY BEYOND THE TERMINAL END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR INTO INTERSECTING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO A LONGITUDINAL PROJECTION OF THE LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL DEFINED BY SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, SAID INNER RUNS OF SAID FOLDING-CONVEYORS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID FRAME MEANS, SAID FOLDING-CONVEYOR INNER RUNS INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE TWIST AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PORTION EXTENDING TO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND MERGING INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PORTION CONTINUING FROM THE TERMINAL END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR; AND SUPPLEMENTAL FOLDING MEANS EXTENDING IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PLANE BETWEEN THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PORTION OF SAID FOLDING-CONVEYORS AND THE ADJACENT SIDE MARGIN OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, WHEREBY THE UNTUCKED WRAPPER ENDS OF THE PACKAGE WILL BE ORIENTED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID VERTICAL PORTIONS OF SAID FOLD-CONVEYORS, 